TIRUPPUR/ERODE: The state government has announced the second phase of relief for 498 farmers who lost their livestock to stray dogs in various districts, including Erode and Tiruppur.
"A fund of Rs 65,30,100 as relief has been allocated to 498 owners of 2,311 livestock that were killed due to stray dog bites in 11 districts of Tiruppur, Erode, Dindigul, Perambalur, Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Villupuram, Pudukkottai and Tiruvannamalai," stated N Subbaiyan, Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu for Animal Husbandry, Dairying, Fisheries, and Fishermen Welfare (AHDF and FW), in his order.
"This relief will be sent to the relevant District Collectors and will be disbursed. District Collectors should also check that the owners of the livestock have not been provided relief assistance under any other scheme,'" the GO added.
In the first phase, Rs 61.8 lakh was advanced by the state government from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund in mid-2025 after protests by farmers.
Thereafter, the farmers have been demanding the second phase of relief as stray dogs continued to kill their livestock.
Farmers also raised this request before the DMK election manifesto committee that recently visited Tiruppur.
Minister MP Saminathan, who requested the Chief Minister to provide relief, in a social media post, said, "On behalf of the farmers, I thank the CM and the Deputy CM for providing relief to the farmers who lost livestock to stray dogs."
However, farmers have said that the relief announced by the government is not sufficient.
P Velusamy, President of PAP Vellakoil Branch Canal Water Conservation Movement, "The killing of livestock by stray dogs causes incessant agony. On Wednesday too, around 10 goats were killed by stray dogs in Veenapalayam near Kangeyam.
Currently, the government has announced Rs 37,500 for cows and buffaloes and Rs 6,000 for those under two years of age. The government has also announced `6,000 for goats and Rs 3,000 if it is a lamb, and Rs 200 for a hen and Rs 100 if it was under six weeks old. But we are demanding relief at market value. We have decided to go to court to assert this."
P Gopal, a farmer from Uthukuli, said, "The government should make this permanent as stray dogs continue to kill livestock. Instead of temporarily providing from the public relief fund, it should be provided from the animal husbandry welfare fund."
Killing of livestock by stray dogs has emerged as a major issue across Tamil Nadu. In Tiruppur and Erode, farmers have been continuously demanding a permanent solution to this problem.